Pea, mint and bacon soup shots

• By Nick Camilleri Preziosi and Alex Mattei

The quantities given here are for 20 pieces.

You will need:

500g of frozen peas (or fresh ones weighed without the shell if you have the time and patience to shell them), two shallots (sliced), four cupfuls of vegetable stock, half a cupful of cream, two tablespoonfuls of dry white wine, 20 fresh leaves of mint, 10 slices of bacon, two tablespoonfuls of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Reserve four slices of bacon and chop the rest, removing any rind and bits of bone or excess fat. Place the bacon bits in a saucepan with the shallots and oil. Heat the pan until the contents are sizzling, and then ‘sweat’ this over a low heat for about five minutes. Add half the peas and cook for a further two to three minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until it has evaporated. Stir in the stock and bring it to the boil. Season with salt and pepper, and leave it to simmer for three minutes. Add the remaining peas and cook for another minute. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor and blend this with the mint leaves, then pass the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl, rubbing with the back of a ladle. Leave it to return to room temperature before you put it into the refrigerator. Chill the purée. You can make this ahead of time and leave it chilled for up to two days. Grill the reserved bacon slices until crisp and crumble them onto a paper towel to soak up the grease. When the soup is well-chilled, adjust the taste with salt and pepper and whisk in the cream. Check the salt and pepper again. Heat the soup before serving it in shot-glasses with a little extra cream trickled on the top and a scattering of bacon crumbs.